Democratic Party's Public Apology Over Park Wan-joo's Sexual Misconduct Allegations: "Zero Tolerance Principle, Apologizing Until the Public Says 'Enough'" (Comprehensive)

Park Ji-hyun: "The Park Wan-joo case is a serious sexual crime that occurred at the end of 2021"
Yoon Ho-jung: "We will strictly and immediately punish it by adhering to the principle of zero tolerance"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] On the 12th, Yoon Ho-jung and Park Ji-hyun, co-chairs of the Emergency Countermeasures Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed their apologies regarding the sexual misconduct allegations against Assemblyman Park Wan-joo, stating, "We once again bow our heads and sincerely apologize to the victims and the public."

Chairman Yoon said, "There is no excuse whatsoever. I do not even dare to ask for forgiveness," adding, "Everything is the Democratic Party's fault, and we take full responsibility. We apologize repeatedly," bowing his head.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Chairman Yoon emphasized, "The Democratic Party will not tolerate any sexual misconduct incidents," and stated, "We will uphold a strict zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual misconduct within the party and will impose severe and immediate punishments."

He continued, "Based on a victim-centered approach, we will also strongly punish secondary victimization and will do everything possible to prevent it," adding, "Furthermore, we will strengthen the functions of the party's Gender Violence Reporting and Counseling Center to prevent recurrence of sexual violence within the party and will systematically establish institutional systems to protect victims' human rights."

Chairwoman Park also apologized, saying, "We declared a zero-tolerance policy for sexual violence and did our best to prevent sexual misconduct within the party, but another incident has occurred," and added, "On behalf of the Democratic Party, I apologize once again."

She explained, "The Park Wan-joo case is a serious sexual crime that occurred at the end of 2021," and said, "The victim initially tried to resolve the matter internally, but it did not proceed smoothly, and a report was made to the party's Gender Reporting Center around the end of April. The Emergency Countermeasures Committee conducted a thorough investigation, confirmed the seriousness of the case based on evidence, and today decided to expel Assemblyman Park Wan-joo."

She added, "The Democratic Party will respond more thoroughly to gender violence within the party in the future. We will also thoroughly investigate ongoing allegations and impose the highest level of disciplinary actions without exception," she said.

Furthermore, she emphasized, "We will continue efforts to prevent recurrence and find fundamental solutions," and stated, "Regardless of the advantages or disadvantages in the local elections, we will continue to receive reports, investigate, and discipline sexual misconduct through the Gender Violence Counseling and Reporting Center."

They also plan to take legal action against secondary victimization, misogynistic remarks, and sexually violent comments occurring both online and offline, and provide legal support to victims. Alongside this, they will actively pursue amendments to party rules and institutional improvements to eradicate power-based sexual crimes and establish a gender-equal organizational culture.

Chairwoman Park said, "We will conduct sexual crime prevention education for all local election candidates and obtain pledges. We will eradicate the wrong consciousness that does not regard women as complete human beings," and added, "We will continue to apologize until the victims and the public say it is enough," reiterating her apology.

On the same day, the Democratic Party held an emergency closed-door Emergency Countermeasures Committee meeting at the National Assembly in the morning and expelled three-term senior Assemblyman Park Wan-joo over sexual misconduct allegations. Spokesperson Shin Hyun-young stated, "A sexual misconduct incident occurred within the party, and the party has taken action," adding, "To prevent secondary victimization and protect the victim, detailed information will not be disclosed."

Previously, there was a report that a regional aide to Democratic Party Assemblyman Kim Won-i sexually assaulted a female colleague and committed secondary victimization. There were also claims that Assemblyman Kim ignored the victim's situation. Assemblyman Kim said, "The victim's suffering continues, and I feel a heavy sense of responsibility," adding, "A strong investigation by the Ethics Inspection Team is necessary regarding the perpetrator, the parties involved, and my response, and I will actively cooperate."

On the same day, allegations of sexual misconduct against Assemblyman Lee Sang-heon were reported in the media. Floor Spokesperson Lee Soo-jin told reporters, "According to the Ethics Inspection Team's verification, the articles related to Assemblyman Lee are not true," and added, "There have been no reports or complaints filed with the party."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.